Cupid's Arrow
by Gray Sunset
Summary: A modern retelling of Emma with a pop culture twist.


**Title:** Cupid's Arrow

**Author:** Gray Sunset

**Summary:**

A modern retelling of Emma with a pop culture twist.

**Disclaimer: **

I don't own the original plot or characters. They were created by the wonderful Jane Austen.

**Author's Notes:**

Does the world really need another modern adaptation of a novel by Jane Austen? Especially another one written by me?

Probably not.

Unfortunately, this idea is refusing to leave me alone…

So, here's the first chapter in my retelling of Emma. I don't think this story will end up sticking to the novel as closely as my other Austen retelling, "Longbourn High," has so far. That's partially because I don't know Emma as well as I know Pride and Prejudice and partially because I have more of my own ideas to incorporate this time. So, if this ends up deviating from the novel, you have been warned.

While I'm in the ballpark of the topic of "Longbourn High," I'll take a moment to say what's going on with that story, in case anyone reading this is wondering. The final chapter has been started. Unfortunately, I haven't touched it in about a month now. I will work on it soon though and try to have it up before the story celebrates its first birthday.

Knowing me, try is the key word there…

* * *

**TEEN POP SENSATION EMMA VOWS NEVER TO MARRY**

**MTV's latest It Girl, Emma, is not a stranger to the good life. As one of the heirs to the Woodhouse Corporation (makers of Burgundy Cola, Polite Snacks, and Snappy Products), she has been in the public eye since her birth. It has only been in the past year, though, that Emma (formerly known as Emily Woodhouse) has stepped out of her father's shadow.**

"**It's a natural impulse," Child Psychiatrist, Jack Smith, says. "Emma has led a very privileged life, but it has also been a very sheltered one. After her mother's death when she was five, she took on a lot of responsibility. If you'll recall, in addition to being a member of the National Honor Society, the lead of nearly every musical Highbury Academy put on, and a member of her school's swim team, she was an assistant to her father throughout middle and high school. She never had an opportunity to rebel. It's only natural that she would want a chance to be herself."**

**And, so she has. Ever since her debut performance on TRL last month, Emma's single "Cupid's Arrow" has been a mainstay on video countdowns everywhere. Her upcoming album (out September 27) is one of the most eagerly anticipated CDs in recent history. "Everyone wants a piece of Emma," explains TV Journalist Sloane Laker. "She's a record label's dream. Girls want to be her, boys want to be with her. She's led a charmed life. Who wouldn't want to be Emma? She's rich, she's clever, she's talented, and she's drop-dead gorgeous."**

**These qualities, and more like them, have been the inspiration for speculations from news sources and industry insiders all over the world. "Emma is still new to the business," Anastasia Meyer of Minty Records states. "People don't know what to make of her yet. For years, she has seemed so together, so sophisticated, so perfect. laughs Something's wrong there. I, for one, would love to know what the girl's flaws are. And, now in addition to her _endless_ list of accomplishments, we're supposed to believe that she's just another pop tart, just another girl who wants to sing and dance for our attention? Personally, I don't buy it."**

**According to insider sources, Meyer has every reason to be bitter. Her label turned Emma away when she approached them last fall with her demo. "They're feeling the sting from this mistake," one insider says. "A year ago, the pop wave seemed to be on its way out. It was an honest mistake. Who would've thought that this song could launch something huge?" **

**While the public may not have been prepared for Emma, those who know the singer best say that she was born to be famous. "I always knew Emma had it in her," Emma's publicist and childhood friend, George Knightley, states. "We grew up together, so I can honestly say that Emma's always been a star. She just has an outlet for it now."**

**In the weeks since her debut, Emma has made it very clear that the pop life was designed for her. She's been photographed shopping in the hottest boutiques, dancing in a different club every night (see pictures on page 21), and living it up with some of the biggest names in the business.**

**Despite this illusion of perfection, Emma's life is not always as golden as it seems. As of late, she has suffered a great loss with the marriage of her best friend and former personal assistant, Taylor Weston. Sources say that Emma was so distraught when she heard about her friend's engagement that she fired Taylor. "Emma feels abandoned. The girls have been like two peas in a pod since elementary school," one insider tells us. "Taylor's gone to every premiere, every party with Emma. Now that she's married, that won't be a reasonable expectation anymore." **

**From Emma's camp, her handlers dismissed all rumors of malice. "Emma could not be happier for Taylor," Knightley assures us. "She actually introduced the couple. She was the Maid of Honor in their wedding. She even caught the bouquet! The entire occasion was a joyous one for Emma." When asked about Weston's removal from her job, Knightley laughed at the accusation. "Taylor asked to step down. She has a new set of priorities now. She doesn't have time to be at the beck and call of Emma anymore. Taylor hasn't been, and won't be, fired. She's simply been relocated to the management team. She's Emma's best friend. She isn't going anywhere, trust me. We expect to see her in the office, bright and early the day after her honeymoon."**

**As far as Emma herself is concerned, the singer seems to be having some difficulty handling the change. She has been spotted out every night since the wedding, always with a different gaggle of girl friends in tow. "Emma's rebounding," our insider tells us. "She doesn't know what to do with herself. She needs to find a new friend to pal around with."**

**Judging from the company she's been keeping recently, Emma would agree with this assessment. "She's testing the waters," our insider responds. "Taylor was a great friend for her. Emma has a spotless record because Taylor made sure that she was never caught in any compromising positions. The sort of comradery they had will be hard to duplicate. If I could offer advice to Emma, I'd suggest that she seek out a male companion. That way, it's an entirely new experience. And, besides, she's too cute to be single."**

**While there are many who would agree with that statement, the one who counts is not among them. "Emma has been connected to just about every It Boy in Hollywood," Laker says. "But, has she been serious with any of them? Our sources say no."**

**When asked about her love life on the Chat Room last Thursday, Emma was very open about it. "I'm not seeing anyone," she shrugged. "I haven't had a boyfriend in, oh, ages. It's kind of pathetic, but I don't care. I'd rather be single than settle for the wrong guy." **

**Emma's handlers echoed this sentiment. "Emma's only nineteen," Knightley reminded us. "She isn't interested in settling down now." When asked if her friend's marriage would influence Emma, Knightley calmly added, "Taylor's only a year older than Emma, but there are times when I think the age difference is greater. Emma's mature in a lot of ways, but she's not the domestic type. Taylor's always wanted to get married. She's been dreaming of having her own family for as long as anyone can remember. Emma's not at that point yet."**

**And, according to some sources, she may never be. One of our readers happened to be in the same club as Emma and her friends on Saturday night. "The girls were surprisingly sedate," he tells us. "They were just giggling and having a good time. A couple of them danced on the table during a particularly fast song, but Emma just bobbed around in her seat. I didn't see any signs of bad behavior."**

**Later that night, a couple of the girls started asking Emma if she had heard from Taylor. "Emma got a little flustered then," our witness tells us. "I couldn't hear everything, but, from what I could tell, she said that she hadn't. One of her friends, who seemed to be a little drunk, started teasing Emma about when she was going to get married. Emma just sat there laughing."**

"**It took her several minutes to compose herself again," our witness says. "Her friends kept teasing her. A couple of them said they bet she was going to pull a Britney one of these days. That just made Emma laugh harder. She told them that she doubted she'd ever get married. She went on to say, and I quote, 'There's too much to see and do in this world to spend your life tied down. It's all good and well if someone like Taylor wants to get married. But, me, I just don't see it happening. End of story."**

**Despite Emma's apparent hatred of being tied down, our sources tell us that there is a man in her life who keeps her from taking off every time the wind blows. "Emma's a very devoted daughter," one insider tells us. "Her father has been ill for some time now. Emma worries about him constantly. It was her idea that he should move to LA and stay in the house she bought here. She isn't going anywhere, not as long as he needs her."**

**In fact, it's Emma's treatment of her father that has caused several insiders to question her disinclination to become a wife. "Emma may be reluctant to get married now," one source says. "But, I'd be surprised if she stays this way forever. Judging from the way she treats her father, I suspect that she's a homebody at heart. She's still very young, though, so I don't think she realizes how she feels about love yet. When she meets that certain someone, I bet she'll be married within a year."**

* * *

With her golden hair, clear blue eyes, and genuine smile, Emily Woodhouse appeared to be the very definition of what a fairy tale princess should look like. She was a natural beauty. Without even trying, she could cause people to stop and stare when she walked by. Despite her apparent physical perfection, Emily spent years waging a constant battle against her appearance. She wanted to be taken seriously for who she was, not how she looked in a mini-skirt. During high school, Emily tried to downplay her looks. She wore her hair up in a formal, unflattering bun and refrained from using make-up. She didn't bother with fashion and could often be found wearing her uniform when she was not at school. 

In the years that had passed since she left Highbury Academy, Emily had transformed from a reluctant East Coast beauty into one of the fastest rising celebrities in California. It had been such a subtle process that those who saw her on a regular basis thought it was only natural that her name should be mentioned in half the gossip magazines at the local newsstand. As for those who didn't see her regularly, well, several of them were still convinced the whole thing was a joke.

"I can't believe it, Em," Josh Hartfield said as he stretched out on the lounge chair. "Look at you! What happened?"

"Life happened," Emily grinned. She leaned forward and tied her hair back with the elastic band around her wrist. It was such a warm afternoon that even this incredibly simple task proved to be a challenge. After spending a minute fumbling around with sticky fingers, she gave up trying to get all of her hair off her neck and just piled the majority of it on top of her head.

"Nice," Josh shook his head. "So, what was I then? Practice for your _real _life?"

Emily glanced at him coyly out of the corner of her eye. There was a time, not too long ago, when his very presence would have caused her to melt on the spot. He had been her first boyfriend, the first and only boy she had ever been in love with. They'd dated off and on throughout her sophomore year of high school before finally breaking up for good when he left for college. She had been devastated when he left. For days, she'd moped around the house in her pajamas, only eating ice cream and popcorn. If she tried hard enough, she could still feel the overwhelming heartbreak that experience had caused for her. As time went on and the wounds on her heart closed, she decided the experience had been good for her. Nowadays, it was what motivated her to sing the slow tracks on her album.

"Exactly," Emily said slyly. She reached across the table and poured herself another glass of iced tea. "I'm glad you know your place."

* * *

Shortly after Josh left, another visitor arrived at the Woodhouses' home. Unlike Josh, whose reputation was anything but flattering among those who knew Emily best, this one was immediately well-received by the staff on hand. 

"Mr. Knightley!" Fiona, the head housekeeper, exclaimed loudly when she answered the door. "It has been too long since your last visit!"

"It's George, Fiona," he reminded her with a sheepish grin. He knew the statement was pointless to say, but he couldn't just stand by and allow a 50 year old woman to refer to him in such a formal manner. "And, I haven't been by recently because I was visiting my friend John in Virginia."

"Oh, that's right!" Fiona smiled as the knowledge returned to her mind. "And, how is Miss Isabella? I hope she is doing well."

"She is as well as can be expected," George told her. "Is Emily home? I need to speak to her."

"Yes, yes, of course," Fiona prodded him lightly on the shoulder and led the way to the living room. "Last time I checked, she was out by the pool. I'll send Anna to get her."

"There's no need for that," George spoke up quickly before the maid could leave. "I know the way."

With a quick parting nod and a promise to be a more frequent visitor, George wove around the servants and made his way towards the pool. It had been nearly a month since he'd been here, so he was surprised to see that the house looked the same as it had before. Between Emily and her father, the décor had a habit of changing constantly as one or the other became bored with the color schemes or furniture.

The door that led to the pool was inside the kitchen. When George entered that room, he quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to talk to Emily for at least five more minutes. Mr. Woodhouse was not someone you could just say hello to while you passed by.

"George!" Mr. Woodhouse said in a jolly tone as he put the newspaper down. "I see you got back here safely. Was your flight on time?"

"Yes, sir," George said politely. "All in all, it was an uneventful flight. No turbulence or suspicious passengers to be found."

"Glad to head it," Mr. Woodhouse said. "Flying can be such an unpleasant experience nowadays. I try to avoid it at all costs."

George nodded numbly. This was a fact he knew well.

"So, tell me, how is my eldest? I hope that friend of yours is taking good care of her."

"John and Isabella are doing very well," George said calmly. If he was being entirely honest, he would have admitted that Isabella did seem to be having some trouble with morning sickness, but George didn't feel like spending an hour in the kitchen today. "You don't have anything to worry about there."

"Glad to hear it," Mr. Woodhouse said again. "Where are my manners? Have a seat, take a load off. You must be exhausted from your trip."

George sat down. He knew it was pointless to argue. Emily had learned her stubbornness from someone, after all. "I can't stay for too long today," he said. It was best to get to the point right away.

"I won't keep you then. I'm sure Emily's the one you really need to talk to." There were times when George thought Mr. Woodhouse was smarter than he seemed. Of course, he realized, that shouldn't really be surprising. The man was the head of one of the biggest corporations in the country. "Before you go, though, I did have something I wished to discuss when you got back." George nodded for him to continue. "I'm a bit worried about Emily."

George could think of a million reasons for why Mr. Woodhouse _should_ be worried about his daughter, but he couldn't think of any that the man could actually be worried about. As far as Mr. Woodhouse was concerned, Emily could do no wrong. "Why's that?"

"It's this whole situation with Taylor," Mr. Woodhouse said. George nodded knowingly. He should've known this was coming. "It's like Isabella all over again. I don't know why these girls get married so young."

"I don't think you have to worry about that happening to Emily," George assured him. "She's not anywhere near ready to get married."

"That's what I thought," Mr. Woodhouse nodded thoughtfully. "But, then, I thought Taylor was the same way."

"But, Taylor's always wanted to get married," George pointed out.

"Well, she _said_ that, but I didn't think she actually meant it," Mr. Woodhouse replied. "I thought she was happy living here."

"She was happy. The fact that she got married doesn't have anything to do with how she felt about living here."

This concept didn't seem to connect with whatever amount of reason Mr. Woodhouse possessed. He loathed change nearly as much as he hated being alone. That was the reason he had guilt-tripped Emily into letting him live with her. He had already lost one daughter when she became he a wife. He wasn't about to lose the other, not if he could help it. While Mr. Woodhouse would have preferred to stay in Virginia, he didn't want to stand in the way of Emily's dream. Of course, that didn't stop him from constantly comparing the two coasts.

"Would you look at this weather?" Mr. Woodhouse said, apparently oblivious to the sudden change in the topic of the conversation. "Sunny everyday." This wasn't true, but George knew it was in his best interest not to say so. "It's a wonder Emily's skin hasn't started peeling off. I keep telling her to use a higher SPF. Maybe, you can reason with her, George."

"I'll see what I can do," George promised. This, too, he knew was pointless to argue about. Mr. Woodhouse wouldn't drop the subject until George agreed. Not that George actually planned to say anything to Emily. He didn't feel like repeating that debate for the hundredth time. "Speaking of Emily, I think I'll go talk to her now. She's by the pool, right?"

Mr. Woodhouse nodded. "She must be swimming still. I haven't seen her come inside and she knows how I feel about wet hair. Make sure you tell her to come in before too long. I don't want her to catch a cold."

George nodded in agreement and left quickly before Mr. Woodhouse could make him take out a bottle of vitamins for Emily. There were still multi-colored flecks in the patio stones from the last time that had happened.

* * *

Emily was easy to spot when George came outside. She was sitting by the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water and her hands working frantically as she text messaged with her friends. It was obvious that she had been for a swim recently because her hair was wet (George glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure Mr. Woodhouse hadn't followed him to the door) and she still had a towel wrapped around her body. It was such a strange sight – such a strangely normal sight – that George had to pause for a moment before announcing his presence by clearing his throat. 

"Hey, George," Emily said breezily without looking up. "I had a feeling you were going to stop by today."

"Really?" George asked curiously. "Why's that?"

"Because-" She looked up long enough to grin at him. "You know me well enough to know that I'd have to kill you if you didn't report back with the latest on Bella." With one final glance at her cell phone, Emily turned it off and crossed the patio to stand by George. "So?"

"So what?"

"How's Isabella? Is she huge? I bet she is. I hope John's taking good care of her. I'd hate to have to kick his butt for neglecting my sister." Emily poured herself a fresh glass of iced tea and silently offered one to George. He declined with a shake of his head.

George sighed. He should've been used to the fact that Emily never made his job easy. "What are the odds of you letting me get to business without going into all the hometown news?"

"Odds? Ha! More like, how long will your pants stay dry if you don't spill," Emily tilted her glass dangerously in his direction.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." Emily winked.

"Fine," George relented. "John's fine. Isabella's fine. The town's fine."

"So, everything's fine?"

"You catch on quickly."

"Can't you give me more than that? Come on, my sister's pregnant! Would it kill you to tell me something other than 'she's fine'?"

"She said she loves your single. They had it on repeat all last night," George shook his head slightly. "Which reminds me, I think it's time for you to release a new one."

Emily nodded knowingly. "I was thinking about that earlier, actually. I think 'One Small Mistake' would be a good choice. It shows off my range."

"I'll bring that up when I meet with the label tomorrow," George decided. "We'll try to set up a video shoot within the month."

"Good," Emily nodded excitedly. "I've been dying to have something productive to do. That reminds me, have you thought about my tour idea?"

"I thought we discussed this already."

"I really think it would be a good idea, George," Emily persisted. "I could start out in Virginia. You know, a hometown gig. The media loves those. If we timed it right, I could be there in time to see my new niece or nephew be born."

"The timing's not going to work out, Em," George reminded her. His forehead was already furrowed with exasperation. "Your classes start in a month. If you really want to be there for Isabella, you could just fly there yourself."

Emily bit her lip and folded her arms across her chest. She had been wondering how long it would take for this to come up. She suddenly wished she had a stop watch. "My classes won't be a problem because I've decided not to go back to school."

George just stared.

"I know what you're going to say and I've given it a lot of thought. I don't _really _need a college education at this point in my life. If my album sells as well as everyone thinks it will, I might never need one. And, if it doesn't, I can always go back next year or next semester, even." She could tell this wasn't moving him at all. "And, besides, plenty of people take a year off. It's normal. And, I'm already a year ahead of a lot of people my age since I skipped the third grade. It's not like I'm going to fall behind or anything."

"You're joking, right?"

"George-"

"I can't believe you're actually considering this."

"I'm not _considering_ it. It's already decided. It's done."

"Emily, listen to yourself. This is crazy. You've always loved school. Why the sudden change of heart?" His voice didn't say that he couldn't believe the business had changed her already, but his eyes clearly did.

Emily stepped around him and flopped onto the hammock. She laid there for a moment before sitting up and facing him again. "I still think that school is important, but I can't let it run my life forever. I spent years devoting myself to my studies, to my extracurriculars, to anything that I could add to my résumé. I have a chance to do something different now, something exciting. Do you know how many people would love to have this opportunity? And, it practically fell into my lap. I can't not take advantage of it."

"And, do you know how many people would love to have even half as much academic talent as you have?" George countered. "You have to think about your future. There's a good chance that this won't last forever. You may have been the best singer at Highbury, but you were a big fish in a small pond then."

"So, you don't think I can make it? What would you call this?" Her arms gestured outward in a general way. "I can't leave the house without being recognized. My face is everywhere. Even I'm getting sick of seeing it!"

"My point, exactly," George said. "No offense, Em, but you're the flavor of the month right now. If you want to turn this into a lasting kind of fame, we're going to need a little something extra. You're not the first blonde with a decent voice and catchy songs, you know."

"If that's the way you feel, why are you working for me?" Emily demanded. She couldn't believe he was saying this to her. Not because she was responsible for his paycheck. She wouldn't want any of her employees to sugarcoat things for her. It was about loyalty. She would never – _never_ – tell one of her friends they were the "flavor of the month."

"You're my friend, Em," George's voice softened slightly. "And, I'm telling you this _as a friend_. You need to plan for the future. So, I'm sorry, but I can't continue representing you if you decide to drop out of college."

Emily's mouth dropped open and a few unbecoming sounds escaped. "George!" She whined. She hated him sometimes. He was one of her oldest and dearest friends. She'd met him when she was in preschool, when he moved to her town and was placed in Isabella's second grade class. He was practically a member of her family. But, still, she hated him sometimes. Or, rather, she hated what he did to her. Only George could make her mind revert to a six year old's mentality.

"Think it over and get back to me tomorrow," George said calmly. He pulled up a chair so that he was sitting across from her. "Now, then, this is why I came here today." He opened his briefcase and took out a magazine. Emily stubbornly refused to accept it until he finally dropped it in her lap.

After a tense moment during which Emily refused to look at George or the magazine, she finally glanced down and shook her head when she saw the headline. "I was wondering how long it would take the press to try and tear me down."

"It's not all bad," George assured her. "There are a few negative quotes, but there are a lot of positive ones too. They called me while I was in Virginia, so I was quoted a couple times."

Emily eyed him curiously before flipping through the magazine until she found the article. "Aw, George!" She exclaimed brightly after reading for a minute. "I _knew_ you agreed with me about my role in Taylor's wedding."

"I knew that quote would come back to haunt me," George moaned. "I didn't mean it, Em. I was just making a point."

"The point being that you agree that I introduced Taylor to her hubby."

"I _knew_ I shouldn't have said that." George shook his head sadly.

"Why? It's true!"

"Em, you weren't anywhere near them when they met."

"Not technically, no, but Taylor never would've met Phil if I hadn't dragged her to LA with me."

George's arms flew up in surrender. "I'll give you that much."

"_And_," Emily continued, her eyes twinkling merrily. "She wouldn't have married him if I hadn't encouraged the match."

"And, that's where we disagree," George said with a shake of his head. "Taylor is perfectly capable of making up her own mind. I could even argue that she wanted to move out here as much, if not more, than you did." Emily opened her mouth to argue, but George continued quickly. "For different reasons, of course. You wanted to pursue a singing career. She just liked the colleges here."

This statement drove Emily to be silent for a moment. She knew Taylor had liked the schools, that didn't surprise her. She had just realized that she would hardly ever see her best friend if she dropped out of college. Emily bit her lip lightly. She couldn't say that now. Heaven forbid that she gave George ammunition to use against her later.

"Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Emily said formally with a bit of a pout. "I was hoping to go for another swim before the rain starts." She eyed the clouds suspiciously.

"No, I think we're done for now." George leaned over while he closed his briefcase so that Emily couldn't see his amusement. "Call me tomorrow morning when you've made your decision."

Emily made a face at his back when he left. She would've complained about the fact that calling him in the morning would require getting up before noon, but she decided to maintain some of her dignity.

* * *

To Emily's surprise, she automatically woke up at seven the following morning. She had never been much of a morning person, but she'd gone to bed early the night before. As much as she loved the night life, it was nice to stay in sometimes and catch up on her sleep. 

Her father was already eating breakfast when Emily made her way downstairs. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before grabbing a granola bar and going downstairs to jog on the treadmill for awhile. This was one of the prices Emily paid for being famous. She could no longer go jogging outside, not if she didn't want to have her picture taken right when she'd worked up a sweat and looked absolutely disgusting.

After her work out, Emily ran back upstairs to shower and get dressed. The registrar's office at her college opened in an hour and she wanted to beat the crowd. She called George on her way to school and left him a voicemail saying that she was going to try signing up for her classes. If it turned out to be too late, she hoped he would understand and wouldn't decide to quit because of a matter she had no control over.

By the time Emily reached the office, there were only three other people waiting to sign up. Two of them were sitting together and whispering furiously while they compared their potential schedules. The other person was a mousy-looking girl who was sitting with her ankles crossed and her hands folded neatly in her lap. When Emily sat down, the girl gasped out loud and looked away quickly. Emily gave her a bright, knowing smile. She was almost accustomed to dealing with fans now.

Before long, the other two students were called up to the counter, leaving Emily alone with the girl. Normally, Emily used waits like this to call one of her friends, but it was too early for anyone to be up yet. When she grew tired of twiddling her thumbs and watching the second hand go around the clock, Emily turned to face the other girl. "This is a perfect way to spend a nice, summer day, isn't it?" She said sarcastically.

The girl jumped in surprise when she heard Emily's voice, but tried to recover quickly. A weak, startled smile crossed her face, but she still didn't say anything.

"I don't think I've seen you around. Are you new here?" Emily felt kind of ridiculous saying that. It was a large school. There was no way she could know everyone. It was the only direct question she could think of though.

The girl nodded after a moment's pause. "I just moved here. I'm going to be a freshman in the fall."

"Freshman year's fun. Stressful at times, but in an exciting way," Emily said brightly. "I'm going to be a junior myself." She paused for a moment. "I'm Emily Woodhouse, by the way."

"I know," the girl said shyly. "I've seen you on TV."

Emily was never quite sure what to say in response to that, so she just smiled.

"I'm Harriet Smith," the girl continued.

"Nice to meet you, Harriet," Emily said politely. "So, where are you from?"

"Kansas," Harriet told her. "I moved here to live with my grandmother. My grandfather just passed away and she didn't want to be by herself."

Emily found the girl's candor refreshing. Living with one's grandmother wasn't generally seen as a statement of coolness to many college students. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather," she said honestly.

"Don't be," Harriet said. Emily was pleased to note that her voice grew stronger with each word. "He lived a good life and he's in a better place now." She glanced up at the ceiling briefly.

Not being a religious person herself, Emily couldn't help shifting uncomfortably before saying, "That's a nice way to look at it."

"It is, I think," Harriet agreed. "At least, he isn't suffering anymore." Harriet's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think before I spoke..."

Emily stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"Your father," Harriet said softly. "I didn't mean.. It's also nice to have the people we love stay with us as long as possible."

"Oh, right," Emily said numbly. Leaning forward, she continued in a conspiratorial whisper. "Can you keep a secret?"

For a moment, Emily thought that she had misjudged Harriet. Her first impression of the girl had led her to think that Harriet was a sweet-natured do gooder. The glint Harriet got in her eyes at that moment was anything but angelic though.

"Of course," Harriet assured her.

Despite the glint (which had disappeared as quickly as it had come), Emily was inclined to trust Harriet. "My father's not sick. Not really anyway. He's a hypochondriac. You could make up a disease, tell him you have it, and he'll think he's caught it too."

Harriet's mouth dropped open and a laugh escaped. "Really? Then, why do the magazines say-"

"You can't trust everything you read in the tabloids," Emily said with a casual wave of her hand. "I think that rumor might've been started by my people though. Apparently, it's not cool for a nineteen year old pop star to still be living with her father."

Before Harriet had a chance to reply, the woman at the counter called 'next.'

"Go ahead," Emily nodded towards the counter when Harriet hesitated. "You were here first."

"Are you sure?" Harriet asked amiably. "I don't mind waiting."

"That wouldn't be fair," Emily insisted. Harriet finally decided not to argue and made her way over to the door. Before she could disappear into the office, Emily spoke up again. "Listen, I was thinking about getting a bite to eat afterwards. Do you want to come along? I _hate _eating alone."

Harriet's eyes widened in a way that clearly showed she was surprised and flattered at the same time. "Sure. I'll wait here when I'm done."

Emily nodded cheerfully and reached into her purse as her cell phone went off. A smile crossed her face when she saw the Caller ID.

"Well, it's about time, Tay," Emily exclaimed as she answered the phone. "I have so much to tell you!"

* * *

**A Quick Author's Note:**

For the record, I don't have any real connections to the entertainment world. So, it's entirely possible that it is not being represented accurately in this story. This is a work of fiction, of course, so hopefully that won't be a huge problem.


End file.
